Sally Mead is Chief Administrative Officer and a board member for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). In April, 2013, she was awarded the Holly Smith Award for Exceptional Service to the UCSF School of Medicine.
The Holly Smith Award was created to recognize exceptional service that has resulted in broad and long-lasting benefit. How do you feel about receiving this prestigious honor?
It is a great honor, and I feel humbled by it. There are many talented and hard-working employees within the School of Medicine, all of whom have made huge contributions over time to UCSF’s mission. It is in this context that I view this award, and I hope I am worthy of it!
How long have you been working at UCSF?
I have worked at UCSF for 18 years (+ 1 month!). My career at UCSF started as an assignment through a temp agency shortly after I’d graduated from college.
What do you do at UCSF and how is it connected to the UCSF mission?
As CTSI’s Chief Administrative Officer, I spend a lot of time on fiscal and budget management. I work closely with CTSI’s teams to ensure that we are leveraging our resources as well as we possibly can in support of CTSI’s mission.
What are the most challenging and rewarding parts of your job?
It is perpetually challenging to juggle priorities and stay on top of the many initiatives that we work on in CTSI. I find it particularly rewarding when we as a group are able to build momentum and seed new projects.
What do you like most about working with administration and finance?
It might not seem like it, but there is always a solid logic behind seemingly opaque administrative and financial processes. Once we come to understand the logic, we can accomplish a lot within existing systems, as well as participate meaningfully in re-designs and innovations.
What are some things that people may not know about the work you do?
I like to stay close to the mechanistic aspects of finance and administration. I do this by processing transactions myself (even though the CTSI finance team excels at this). That can be useful on many levels for a manager to retain hands-on skills, particularly when working with UCSF business systems.
If you chose another career path outside UCSF what would it be?
I am passionate about fitness as a vital aspect of health, and am in the process of certifying as an indoor cycling instructor. Stay tuned for upcoming class offerings to the UCSF community as I progress along this path!
What's something that your colleagues or members of the UCSF community might be surprised to know about you?
Oh, lots of things! Here are a few:
I have unique singing abilities: I can sing most of JS Bach’s B Minor Mass from memory, AND produce a frighteningly accurate imitation of Edith Bunker performing the theme song to “All in the Family”. On rare occasions my husband and I can imitate bagpipes (that one is a duet).
I am learning all about raw vegan cuisine, and how to prepare raw food that is nutritious and not gross. This all started with the ‘no meat athlete’ website, and has been a fun exploration for me.
I like to dress up my cats and photograph them every year for Halloween cards. OK, everyone at CTSI knows that one by now…
What are your favorite things to do with your free time?
I am an avid cyclist, SCUBA diver and underwater photographer.
CTSI Spotlight is part of an ongoing series that offers an opportunity for faculty and staff to learn more about the wide range of people who make CTSI's work possible. See all featured faculty and staff.